Written answers

Tuesday, 15 November 2005

Department of Agriculture and Food

Beef Imports

9:00 pm

Photo of Peter PowerPeter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 109: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she has been in contact with the European Commission on the issue of veterinary equivalence in terms of beef production in Brazil. [34101/05]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I fully support the policy that animal products imported into the EU from third countries meet standards at least equivalent to those required for production in, and trade between, EU member states.

In this context, I wrote last month to the Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, Mr. Markos Kyprianou, concerning the sanitary rules applying to the import of livestock products, especially beef, into the European Union. In the letter, I raised the matter of "equivalence" on the specific and important issues of animal traceability, controls on veterinary medicines, prohibited substances and residue monitoring programmes in these countries and in particular with regard to Brazilian beef in view of its increasing presence on the European market. I requested the Commission to consider the matter and invited it to put appropriate proposals before the EU standing committee on the food chain and animal health, SCoFCAH.

Irish farmers are required to ensure that their production systems and farm practices fully comply with a wide range of EU directives on important matters, including traceability, animal health and welfare and consumer protection. These all have significant in-built cost factors and, bearing in mind that our beef farmers are in competition on European and international markets with beef from low cost producers such as Brazil, I will continue to seek real equivalence in these areas, both in discussions within the EU and in the context of the WTO talks on market access.

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